Life For A Creevey
by Sarah-Faith
Summary: Colin Creevey's home life, and a peek into his thoughts. Is he really that shutterbug worshipful admirer of Harry's that we all perceive him to be? Constructive criticism always welcome.
1. The Prologue

Title: Life For A Creevey (Prologue/?)  
  
Author Name: Faith  
  
Author e-mail: faith_clayton@hotmail.com  
  
Category: Not sure where this belongs. Mild Angst, General, Mild Romance.  
  
Keywords: Colin, family, Dennis, Nelissa, H/H.  
  
Rating: PG-13 for suggestive scenes, mild swear words and scenes that might not be appropriate for young children. Will be upped as necessary.  
  
Spoilers: All four books, but particularly CoS.  
  
Summary: Colin Creevey's home life, and a peek into his thoughts. Is he really that shutterbug worshipful admirer of Harry's that we all perceive him to be?  
  
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. All characters, places, names and facts you do not recognize belongs to me.  
  
Author's Note: This is somewhat of an angsty story. The Colin here is not a happy-go-lucky guy. He's shoulder-high in angst and anguish, (I will try as hard as I can to not to make him a Gary-Stu. Promise!). Do not worry, my fellow romantics-at-heart, the SS Pumpkin Pie will make its welcomed appearance soon!  
  
***  
  
PROLOGUE  
  
***  
  
"Nelissa Creevey, WILL YOU SHUT THE DAMN WINDOW FOR THE HUNDREDTH TIME?!"  
  
"OKAY! DON'T NAG!" shouted Nelissa back, as she slammed the window down.  
  
"DON'T SLAM THE WINDOW!"  
  
Colin Creevey grimaced as he put down his quill and rubbed his ears. The fights between his sister Nelissa and his stepmother Acorna Pharnsen had been worsening since lately. He didn't think they could get worse, but get worse they did.  
  
Since his real mother and father divorced, the atmosphere at the Creevey household had been thickening. Colin wasn't sad to see his mother go; in fact, it was just the opposite. Candace Pascalson-Mathers was what one could call the worst mother on earth. She had no time for either her three children or her husband, Eddie Creevey. Her time was devoted, instead, to her appearance and her outside 'acquaintances', if you could call it that. She wasn't used to being ignored, and she was the vainest woman on the face of the planet.  
  
On the other hand, Eddie Creevey was the best father one could wish for. He was very devoted to his children, and had the sweetest personality. He was very loving and had every quality a child would wish for in a father…  
  
…Except for taste in women.  
  
Eddie had a knack for attracting the worst women, but unfortunately, he didn't realize it. Candace and Acorna were just a fraction of a long string of past lovers, who were all vainglorious and narcissistic. Quintana, Castrana, Narcissa, Gloria…  
  
Acorna Pharnsen came into Eddie's life shortly after Candace left. Eddie's love for Acorna was true, whereas it was not so vice versa.  
  
Nelissa Estena Creevey, Colin's sister of 18 years, instantly disliked Acorna with a passion. She had a knack for determining people's personalities, and Acorna's aura was sour. They were always arguing like a Siamese cat and a Labrador, over the slightest things. Nelissa had yet to find a fulltime job. The one she currently held was as a part-time receptionist at a Magilton Hotel (the wizard version of the Hilton, so Colin was told), but as she had told Colin, she can't wait for the moment when she had secured a fulltime job and moved out of this "hellhole", as she had described the Creevey household.  
  
[FLASHBACK]  
  
It was during the Christmas holidays. Nelissa had opted to stay at home, instead of taking refuge at Hogwarts, as she would usually do. Colin, who was only nine at that time, began to get teary-eyed. "Does that mean you don't like daddy, or me, or Dennis anymore?" He held seven-year-old Dennis, who was also beginning to sob, close to him.  
  
Sixteen-year-old Nelissa gently stroked Colin's auburn hair. "No, Colin, it means that I'm going to move away from here as soon as I can. I'll come and visit you often, and daddy too." She sighed. "I just wish that – that daddy hadn't married that snake lady."  
  
[END FLASHBACK]  
  
There's no use dwelling in the past, Colin admonished himself. What's over is over. Daddy is dead and there's no way to change it. There's no way he would have known that Acorna is a lesbian. Magical heart attacks aren't like Muggle ones. You can't treat them. It is in no way reversible. Sighing, he resumed his letter to his pen friend from Japan, Miyuki Itomoko, trying to block Nelissa and Acorna's argument, Acacia's – Acorna's lesbian partner – thunderous snores, Dennis's chattering to his pet cat, Toodles, and the roaring of unseen Muggle vehicles outside, but again, he was interrupted, this time by an eagle owl. It deposited a yellowish envelope on the oak table, and then fluttered off to perch on the windowpane.  
  
Colin curiously took the envelope. It was addressed to him, in emerald green loopy script. A balloon of excitement suddenly swelled in his heart. He remembered what Nelissa had told him…  
  
[FLASHBACK]  
  
Nelissa had said, "I received a letter from Hogwarts in a yellow envelope. My name and address were written on it with green ink…"  
  
[END FLASHBACK]  
  
Colin tore off the envelope with trembling hands, hardly daring to open his eyes.  
  
When the envelope was gone, Colin could hardly believe his eyes.  
  
"Dear Mr. Creevey,  
  
We are pleased to announce that you have been accepted into Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry…" 


	2. Chapter One

Title: Life For A Creevey (1/?)  
  
Author Name: Faith  
  
Author e-mail: faith_clayton@hotmail.com  
  
Category: Not sure where this belongs. Mild Angst, General, Mild Romance.  
  
Keywords: Colin, family, Dennis, Nelissa, H/H.  
  
Rating: PG-13 for suggestive scenes, mild swear words and scenes that might not be appropriate for young children. Will be upped as necessary.  
  
Spoilers: All four books, but particularly CoS.  
  
Summary: Colin Creevey's home life, and a peek into his thoughts. Is he really that shutterbug worshipful admirer of Harry's that we all perceive him to be?  
  
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. All characters, places, names and facts you do not recognize belongs to me, however.  
  
Author's Note For This Chapter: Anybody who can guess why the 'redheaded bloke' (Percy, of course) was 'on the verge of laughter' as he said the password will get a hundred Galleons transferred into their Gringotts account and a free lifetime subscription to Witch's Weekly and Wow Wizards Magazine. ^_^. Hint: Think Jennifer Lopez.  
  
***  
PART ONE  
***  
  
Colin felt butterflies fluttering around in his stomach as he sat on the Hogwarts Express, waiting for the train to arrive. After numerous pleadings from Nelissa and himself, Acorna finally gave her permission, though she was very reluctant. Truth be told, Acorna hated Hogwarts. "Most of my days in living hell were spent there", as Acorna had said. But Colin had plenty of practice in persuading people (as the local sweet shop employees would testify), and soon, Acorna gave her permission, and asked Nelissa to accompany him to Diagon Alley. Days had zoomed past, and soon, Colin found himself running through the barrier between Platform Nine and Nine Three-Quarters, and boarding the train.   
  
He was very nervous, of course, as any other first year. He also felt lonely, as he was the only one in his compartment, accompanied only by his cat, Aries, who was snoozing peacefully on an empty seat. He had bought Aries at a shop in Diagon Alley. It was a bargain - only six Galleons!  
  
Suddenly, the door slid open, and another boy came in. His pale face - it was so pale and white, Colin thought that he might be a reincarnated corpse - was crinkled in a frown, and his blue-gray eyes were decidedly unfriendly. His mouth twisted into a sneer when he saw Colin.  
  
"Who are you?" Colin asked - rather bravely, he thought later.  
  
"Who are you to ask me?" the boy shot back. Colin immediately felt an instinctive dislike towards him.  
  
"If you're looking for an empty compartment, they're all full. Mine's the only one that has some space."  
  
The boy sneered. "Well, no wonder this compartment is empty. All the others didn't want to sit with you when they saw you."  
  
Colin tried his hardest not to just slap the boy. If there's one thing he'd inherited from his mother, it was her temper. "Are you deaf? I asked you what your name was."  
  
The boy sighed and rolled his eyes, as if telling his name to Colin was such a burden. "Draco Malfoy."  
  
"Colin Creevey."  
  
Malfoy's head immediately snapped back. His eyes, so bored and sneering just now, showed shock, and he lost his languid air.  
  
"C-Creevey?" he stuttered. "As in that famous Auror family?"  
  
Colin was bewildered. Auror family? "Huh?" he intelligently said.  
  
"Don't you know?" Malfoy shook his head, collecting himself. Then he sneered, "A Creevey who doesn't know his family's famous tale? Why, the whole world knows and a member of the family doesn't? Tsk tsk." With that, he disappeared (figuratively, of course).  
  
***  
  
"Creevey, Colin!" Professor McGonagall called out his name during the Sorting of the first-years. With that, barely discernible whispers erupted from all over the Great Hall.  
  
"Is my hearing right? Did she say 'Creevey'? The Auror family?"  
  
This is great, thought Colin glumly. The whole school knows my family's history and I'm the only one who doesn't.  
  
Colin marched towards the hat, feeling as if he was about to go to war. He sat stiffly on the stool, and slid the hat over his head and his eyes.  
  
"Hmm," said the Hat in his ear, "you're a tough one, yes you are. I can sense a great thirst for adventure, and great bravery, but that mind's not too bad, hmm, but you don't have a great hunger for knowledge, so Ravenclaw is not an option for you, no. Let's see, you have a soft heart, yes, and you don't mind working hard to achieve your goals, how about Hufflepuff?"  
  
Anything as long you get this over with, thought Colin. It had only been about ten seconds, but to Colin, it was like an hour.  
  
"But," the Hat continued, "you don't mind working a little…dirtier if that's what it takes to get what you want, and I also sense great things and high ambitions in you…Slytherin? No no no, you'd never do well in that house, and Hufflepuff's a bit monotonous for you. You have a spark for adventure, and you have plenty of courage. You'd do better in GRYFFINDOR!"  
  
The Hat was removed from his head, and Colin walked shakily to the Gryffindor table, which was cheering loudly. Gryffindors scrambled to shake his hand, as he took his place at an empty seat between a bushy-haired girl and a boy who had dyed his hair blue (of all colors, Colin thought).  
  
The Sorting commenced ("Cunnersworth, Linda!"), as name after name crawled past. Colin felt his stomach rumbling. He had only had a few sweets on the train. The money Acorna gave him to spend wasn't that much.  
  
However, just after Mickey Nickerson (a girl) was sorted into Ravenclaw, a crash shook the Hall. The source of the crash seemed to originate from just outside the castle, and every head swiveled towards the noise.   
  
The sound of the crash was followed by something that sounded a lot like hoarse human shouts and the sound of pummeling.  
  
What's happening? wondered Colin along with the other students.  
  
The sound faded away as suddenly as they had come. One or two teachers stood up to investigate the noise, but Dumbledore motioned them to sit down and stay calm, while a greasy-haired teacher stood up and headed towards the large oak doors that led to the front of the castle. Satisfied that the issue of the noise was settled, everybody resumed watching the Sorting.  
  
Finally, the last student ("Zwyner, Kell!") was sorted into Hufflepuff, and all the hubbub died away, as Albus Dumbledore stood up.  
  
"Tuck in," he simply said, and the empty golden plates and goblets on the five tables were magically filled with food and pumpkin juice. Colin helped himself to a roast chicken, and ate as if he was starved for days.  
  
As he ate, Colin made some small talk with the blue-haired boy beside him. "I have a magical Macaw parrot," said the blue-haired boy. "I wanted something different, not that ordinary owl or cat, so I sent a special order to the Magical Menagerie, and got Phil."  
  
"Wow," said Colin enviously. He had always enjoyed rare and exotic animals.  
  
"What have you got?" asked the bluenette, Rainer. He had an unpronounceable last name, and was a first-year too.  
  
"Just a cat, Aries. He's asleep now, here, under my feet. He's a gift from my sister. I have a rat at home too, named G'ene. He's not much fun, so I gave him to my brother."  
  
After the feast had finished, and everyone was stuffed, Dumbledore stood up. "Well, I hope everybody is now stuffed full," he said, eyes twinkling, "It's time to make a few announcements. Mr. Filch, the caretaker, wishes to remind all of you to periodically de-flea your pets, particularly cats. A particularly effective flea-remover, Mr. Snow's No-Flea Powder and Ointment can be bought at the Animania Pet Store at Hogsmeade. And the Forbidden Forest is just what it is - forbidden."  
  
Dumbledore smiled, "I'm sure all of you are now tired, after that wonderful feast. Well, I won't delay you any longer. Chop chop!" With that, he sat down, and prefects from each of the house tables stood up.  
  
A Gryffindor prefect, a redheaded sixth-year, led a yawning group of Gryffindors to the portrait hole entrance, but not before navigating numerous twists and turns. Finally, the group stopped in front of a portrait of a smiling lady. Colin was so sleepy, he wasn't even surprised to see that the lady in the portrait said, "Password?"  
  
"Sub Ubi," said the Prefect, but he seemed to be on the verge of laughter as he said that, for reasons unknown. Surprisingly, the lady in the portrait also let out a small, amused smile, and swung open to reveal a hole up in the wall. The group scrambled in, and into a large room, lit by a blazing fire in one corner.  
  
The Prefect gave the directions to the girls' and boys' dormitories, and soon, Colin was chattering with his fellow dorm mates, Rainer, a pair of spectacled brunettes and a Scot, Jon Clas. Moment after moment of babble passed, and soon, Colin slipped into blissful sleep.  
  
This chapter has now ended. 


End file.
